How did the Panthers do in fantasy football? Will those trends continue?
The Carolina Panthers responded beautifully to the change at quarterback, shellacking the Las Vegas Raiders for their first win of the season. Let’s take a look back at how individual Panthers players fared and if they are worth keeping moving forward. For these articles, I will be using fantasy totals in an ESPN Fantasy league I am part of, so your numbers might have been slightly different.
Quarterback
Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton. The Red Rifle. And now the Panthers’ starting quarterback for the foreseeable future. Dalton is still the only quarterback this season with over 300 yards passing and at least three passing touchdowns in a game. His dominant performance under center for the Panthers earned him 24.56 fantasy points. He is definitely someone to pick up off the waiver wire. Worst case he’s a solid bye week option if you have someone better or your second quarterback in two QB leagues. Best case he’s a QB1 again.
Runningback
Chuba Hubbard
Hubbard was once again the bell cow for the Panthers’ offense, but this week it actually led to an amazing fantasy performance. He found paydirt on a reception and ran for over 100 yards en route to a 27.9 fantasy point week. The most promising aspect of Hubbard’s game was his explosiveness in the passing game. If he can continue to add that element to his game, he could be a RB1 at least until Jonathon Brooks returns.
Miles Sanders
Though he only got seven carries for only 17 yards in the game, Sanders did manage to notch a rushing touchdown in garbage time. He’s definitely not worth keeping on your roster if Chuba continues to be as dominant as he has been.
Wide Receiver
Diontae Johnson
Get this man an extension, I’ve seen enough. Amazing what he’s capable of with a confident quarterback throwing the ball. He caught eight of his 14 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown, netting him 26.2 fantasy points. He was consistently open and showed some incredible potential for YAC. He’s definitely a strong WR2 moving forward.
Adam Thielen
First off, hopefully Adam Thielen is okay after that injury scare. If he does miss time, hopefully it won’t be much. The “Dad Ball” combination of Dalton and Thielen made the most of their five targets, with Thielen hauling in three catches (should have had a fourth) for 40 yards and a beautiful touchdown between two Raiders defenders. While his 13 fantasy points probably didn’t win any of his owners the game, they were definitely a welcomed sight. Keep an eye on that leg injury, though.
Xavier Legette
He only had three targets, but man he showed some flashes on those two receptions for 42 yards. His fantasy production is still lagging behind the other two top receivers for the Panthers, but that could change as he and Andy get better chemistry. Another thing to keep track of is Legette’s usage as it relates to Thielen’s injury. If Thielen is not one hundred percent, Legette could see a higher target share. Right now Legette is not a viable fantasy option, but we’ll see moving forward.
Tight End
Tommy Tremble
Tremble is clearly ahead of rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders on the pass catcher pecking order. Tremble only had three targets, but caught all three including a dandy of a catch in traffic. Though he only scored 5.9 points in fantasy this week, he might see more opportunities as the season goes on. Still, I wouldn’t reserve a roster spot for him just yet.
Defense/Special Teams
The Panthers defense and special teams units are definitely not built for fantasy football. So far, they don’t force enough turnovers and don’t get enough sacks. Even with a very good performance on Sunday, the units still only managed 5 fantasy points. If they can attack the ball with more consistency and force more turnovers, maybe they become a bye week option. Otherwise, the Panthers D/ST needs to stay off your roster.